1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amusement devices and, more specifically, to amusement devices usable by a single individual to simulate an arm-wrestling contest.
2. Prior Art
Brodeur U.S. Pat. No. 929,281, issued on July 27, 1909, for a "Muscle Testing Machine". Such machine includes a mechanical arm moved by the user against the force of springs. The mechanical arm is coupled to the pointer of a dial to give an approximate indication of the force applied by the user. The same general concepts were applied by McDonnell in his "Torsion Type Arm Exercising Apparatus" which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,757, issued Sept. 28, 1976. In the McDonnell device there is a mechanical arm moved by the user against the force of springs and coupled to the pointer of a dial to indicate the force applied. The similarity in the two devices patented 67 years apart is some indication of the ongoing interest in arm-exercising machines which measure the strength of the user and, to some degree, simulate an arm-wrestling contest, and also is some indication of the slow progress made in this field over the same period.
Another type of "Mechanical Arm Wrestler" is disclosed in Rogerson U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,675, issued Jan. 22, 1980. In that patent a mechanical arm is moved against the preset pressure of air in a pneumatic cylinder. The preset pressure is achieved by use of a foot pump. Similarly, in the first described embodiment of the "Amusement Device" which is the subject of Norris et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,793, issued Sept. 10, 1968, a mechanical arm is moved against force applied by a pneumatic cylinder and the resistive force applied by the user is indicated on a display.
A second described embodiment in the Norris et al. patent comes closer to the present invention because in that embodiment a mechanical arm is intended to "fight back", as is the mechanical arm of the "Arm Wrestling Apparatus" of Dean U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,454, issued Sept. 27, 1983. In other respects, however, the devices of these patents are dissimilar to the present invention. The second described embodiment of the Norris et al. patent uses an electric clutch assembly, and the Dean device uses a mechanical arm connected by way of a gear assembly to a pair of opposing pneumatic cylinders.
As popularity of arm wrestling as a sport has increased, more recent patents have issued for devices intended to prevent one or the other opponent from gaining an unfair advantage. Such devices are disclosed in Jeffrey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,837, issued Dec. 4, 1979, and Montgomery U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,330, issued Sept. 2, 1980. Still, arm wrestling as a sport may not be a very reliable indication of a contestant's strength or, in some cases, even of technique, quickness, agility or endurance despite the use of human referees and electronic devices for regulating and judging the grip, starting time and other aspects of the contest.
Up to now the need for a mechanical device for simulating an arm-wrestling contest and having the feel of a human opponent has been unfulfilled Such a device could be used for amusement, practice and strength training, and also could be used as a more objective measure of arm-wrestling strength